Friday, November 07, 2008

"What Does It Mean to Fall in Love With God?

A young teenage girl wrote to me recently and asked, "What exactly does it mean to fall in love with God? Do you get a tingly feeling like you would when you fall in love with a guy?" I was impressed with her question. While many young girls her age are more interested in fashion and being a part of the "in" crowd, this young girl wanted a better understanding of her relationship with God. Following is what I answered her:

I suppose people react differently when they fall in love depending on their personalities. Some may cry when they're told they are loved. Others feel a deep certainty that there will never be anyone as special as this person, while others giggle and become effusive with joy. There are all sorts of emotions. However, falling in love must go hand-in-hand with commitment. You can love someone emotionally and then fall out of love with them emotionally on a trying day or week or year. Emotions come and go. Commitment is forever. You choose to stay in love. You choose to be faithful. You choose to look for ways to keep falling in love with this person again and again. That's what true love.

It's similar with God. There are times when I'm so emotionally in love with God that I just weep. Other times I'm overwhelmed by His love for me and I find myself joyfully laughing. Yet most of the time I just feel a deep contentment in knowing that He is with me. I feel secure in His love. But I must also be committed to love Him. There are times in our lives when we are distracted by life and we may even begin to question our faith. It's those times we must decide to stay committed and faithful no matter what we feel at the moment. Feelings can be wonderful. Emotions can be great. But feelings and emotions are changeable. We must be committed and faithful to God no matter what we feel at the moment.

Tags: , , ,

11 comments:

Sharon said...

I agree, and love how you ended your post "We must be committed and faithful to God no matter what we are feeling at the moment."

~Sharon~
A Hoosier Family- http://hoosierfamily06.blogspot.com
Assembly of God Blogs-
http://assemblyofgodblogs.blogspot.com

Carolyn said...

Love your post. Beautiful expression of love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bless you.
Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful, Anne. This is a very clear explanation of how much deeper the love of God is than the world's love, which is the only kind so many people are familiar with.

Anonymous said...

You are so right about what it's like to fall in Love with God.
Blessings,
Michelle@JourneyHome

Anonymous said...

Committed and faithful to, love for, that's what "being" in love with God is.

That's a big difference that the terminology the world uses to describe that particular emotion.

LA Nickers said...

Great devotional post.


Blessings,
Linda

HEART OF A READY WRITER – Reading Through the Bible in 2009

Nishant said...

Beautiful expression of love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bless you.
Web hosting indi

john buffalo said...

My wife and I are going through a separation and I haven't seen her in 4 months. The Memorial Day weekend is coming up and Id like to see her and my family. She said to me the only man in her life is God and she's so in love with him. She doesn't want to stay here because she thinks it's a bad idea and that we should concentrate working on ourselves.

Anneliese Dalaba said...

John, I'm so sorry about the problems you and your wife are currently facing. My heart goes out to both of you. It is hard for me to comment on this when I do not know all the specifics for this current separation. I do know that if you're wife is truly so "in love" with God as she claims to be, then she will make every effort to reconcile with you. Quite frankly, I do not believe her reason for not wanting to be with you is because she is so much "in love" with God. There must be more underlying issues. God does not separate married couples. People who truly love God will grow closer to each other and not further apart. I think you need some Godly counsel in this situation. I would advise you to talk to your pastor. If your wife is not willing to go with you to this meeting, then go alone, but do get some Scripturally-based counsel. If you are not currently in a church, then I want to encourage you to find a good church with excellent and accurate Biblical teaching, and then see the pastor for counsel at your earliest convenience.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I feel I am no longer in love with God. I want to be in love with Him. I become hollow with out His love. Please guide me, what should I do to feel His love. Sometimes I feel I am forcing myself to be in His love. I feel helpless.

Anneliese Dalaba said...

Dear Anonymous, I would suggest you start why remembering a time when you were so "in love" with God. What changed? Did circumstances distract you from thinking about Him? Did you face a suffering of some sort that was difficult to deal with and you blamed him? It may not be anything that I just mentioned, but it might help you to think back and perhaps you will see what you are doing differently now than you did back when you were so "in love" with God. Are you surrounding yourself with believers that love God or are you spending more time with those who do not believe. Are you attending a church at least once a week that preaches the truth of God's Word and encourages you to study God's Word too? I will give you a simple piece of advice. If I never spend time with my husband and I seldom think of him, I will get used to living without him and I will fall out of love with him. However, if I make time for my relationship with my husband and plan times for us to spend together, if I look for ways to praise him and see the good in him, if I choose to think about him during the day, then I will look forward to spending time with him and I will long to be near him. Do you see how this is the same with God? We are in a relationship with him, but to have a good relationship takes work. Invest more time thinking and meditating on God. Read the Bible daily. Talk to Him. Think of all the things you have to thank Him for. Tell Him your burdens and then give Him your praise. The Bible says, "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you..." James 4:8